As the controversies ranges over the decision by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to award the 2025 AFCON title to Morocco, former Green Eagles winger, Adegoke Adelabu says the African football body is right to strip Senegal of the title.

“It is not acceptable for a team at that level to walk out of the pitch,” Adelabu told The Guardian, yesterday. “They (Senegal) could have kept their protest within the confines of the pitch, to show that they are still part of the game. Walking out of the pitch in such a competition is unacceptable and ridiculous.”

Adelabu, who played club football with IICC Shooting Stars of Ibadan, said: “I think what CAF is trying to do is to boost the integrity of the competition. We need to realise the level of followership of the competition, the financial involvement of big corporations across the globe. The whole thing boils down to preserving the image of the game and the level of competence of the organisers. This will serve as a deterrent to other teams, that such a behaviour would not be tolerated in football competitions.”

On his part, Alloy Chukwuemeka, a Match Commissioner in the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL), said: “The ‘discretion’ exercised by both the organisers and the referees to continue the game after Senegal discontinuation is called ‘game management’.

“It is to save the integrity of African football in the face of the spectators, manage security concerns, protect sponsors’ rights, investment, television broadcasts rights and world audience.

“The notion is that nothing should disrupt a final match. However, the rules and regulations framework remain sacrosanct and must be fairly interpreted, implemented to serve as deterrent,” Chukwuemeka stated.